V76 by Vaughn V-Rated Natural Wax Review

I was reluctant to try this product at first. You guys know what I mean. When one first arrives at the decision to get a pompadour, the typically dude feels the need to stay true to the classics. For some reason, we free an obligation to use old products. And after two years of running this blog, I think it’s time to take a wider perspective and be open to new products. V Rated Natural Wax convinced me of this. It’s hard for me to say, but this literally may be the best pomade I have ever used — oil or water-based.

The way I have explained it to myself:

We have classic products. Stuff that stood the test and still commonly available today (i.e. Murray’s, Royal Crown, etc.). These are good, but are outdated. What was available then is nothing compared to what is available now. To make a comparison, you shouldn’t be digging through your dad’s closet or the local thrift store for vintage clothes. It is from another time — made for a different audience and to a different cut. Just trust me, vintage shouldn’t be the only characteristic to your wardrobe. It is honestly the most easily (and cheaply) attained look.

Next, we have a myriad of homebrewed pomades. These are effing great. You now have the product that embodies the passion and creativity of their brewer. This markets offers a huge selection of different pomades. However, the limitation here is same thing that makes it great — it is made by everyday people like you and me. We can’t get our hands on expensive oils, waxes, or extracts. We don’t have the experience of the hair-styling world. As much as we choose not to see it, there are other hairstyles out there that use pomade because the pompadour, combover, or slick back. The homebrewed pomade is usually pretty direct in catering to its market.

Lastly, we have the professional pomade — more commonly known by us at the salon-level pomade. This one is not to be confused with stuff like American Crew Pomade. If you can also find it at Walmart, I’m not talking about that stuff. I’m referring to something truly made by a dude who’s life has been dedicated to styling men’s hair. Vaughn Acord, besides doing some modeling work, made a career of styling men’s hair. Not making men look more like women as we typically assume salons are doing, but truly styling men’s hair as it should. I would highly recommend you guys watching this interview with the dude. I find him unexpectedly agreeable. The decades of experience and the wide range of resources available to him really show up in this product.

This is the product itself, V Rated Natural Wax as part of the V76 line by Vaughn. It comes in a simple, 1.7 ounce, nude-colored jar. The back twist top also carries it’s branding label on the face. As we can see, the V76 branding is inspired by the Yves Saint Laurent logo — one of the few high-fashion labels that I actually can admire, sometimes.

Below, you’ll see that the product has a very natural coloring as the name suggests. I can’t prove it, but the appearance does suggest that no coloring was added — really making me happy to see the simplicity of the product. In the interview with Vaughn, he remarks a lil bit about being inspired by the classic products — not being limited by them, but reinventing them in a way.

The pomade has a nice, smooth musk-type of scent with hints of nuttiness and mint. I don’t know how to describe it. Just trust me though, it smells like man. I know. Sounds weird. But it is nice. You just feel good and ‘on it’ when you wear the stuff. This is the first time I got that sensation from the aroma of a product.

Application

Easy as hell. It scoops out of the jar like a textured pudding — somewhat similar to Anchor’s Teddy Boy Original. Once your smear it into your hands, it becomes as smooth as a lotion. It is nothing like what you’ve experience before and this makes sense. I’m sure Vaughn wouldn’t be effing styling Bill Clinton’s hair will something stupidly heavy like Voodoo Brew. Remember the context in which this product was initially conceptualized, and you’ll understand how demanding they were. You’ll have no problem using it.

Styling

Time. In the past, I’ve been afraid to use these products on the belief that I’m not a professional hair stylist or whatever. I neither have tools or experience with these products to use them effectively. However, I was wrong. V Rated Natural Wax was so damn well formulated that even the common everyday user can effectively style with the product — and in no time.

Slickness. Just look at the photos. No stray hairs. It was crazy, this product has neither the greasy stickiness of oil-based or the locking-in of a water-based. Yet, it captured and held all my hairs. Beautiful. Then at the end and throughout the day, you’ll have a nice natural sheen to your hair.

Strength. The strength you’ll find is in clever and well-formulated. You’ll see none of that brute strength typically found in badly made oil-based products. The strength will be enough to hold your hair in a natural manner, not tear it out.

Conclusion

This product has opened my eyes to a whole new category and also, marks the beginning of a new dimension to this blog. V Rated Natural Wax is probably the best product I have ever used. But that’s not the amazing part, it ranks as the best across both categories, whether it be oil or water-based. It doesn’t matter. This product surpasses all.

But of course, it comes at a cost. Literally. Still affordable, but you’ll soon realize it costs a lot more than anything you’ve used before.

This stuff is good enough to be used on the daily. But I recommend you buying a jar and saving it for special occasions when you wanna look your best. However…if you can afford it (if I could), I would make a complete transition to this product. Trust me, you’ll be nodding in agreement once you use this product. If you don’t like it, I’d be more than happy to trade you some stuff to get more of it.